Nurturing Words - Book editing + proofreading by Jo Speirs

This is a great guide!

Posted • Are you a self-employed editor?

Then you need a copy of Working with self-employed editors: a guide for clients.

IPEd has developed this guide for editors to provide their clients, including publishers, so they know what to expect when they work with a freelance editor.

The guide sets out some basic principles, both professional and ethical, so you can approach your project with a clear understanding of what is required and build a strong working relationship from the start.

The guide ensures you and your client are both familiar with the process for:

➡ agreeing on the work
➡ defining the scope of work
➡ varying the agreement
➡ communicating with each other
➡ providing supporting documents
➡ paying for the work
➡ dealing with disputes.

Download your free copy today via the link in our bio.

Mother's Day, a day of mixed emotions, memories, hope & gratefulness … lots of love.

It's been almost a decade since Mum passed away, and there hasn't been a single day when I haven't missed her presence and felt grateful for her guidance that's led me to where I am today.

💔🌹

Thrilled to be chatting with Sumudu from Editors South Australia about my editing and authoring.

This Thursday night – registrations close today, so make sure you register (Zoom).

Hope to see you there.

Register: https://iped.memnet.com.au/MemberSelfService/EventBooking.aspx?selectedEventId=916

Join Editors South Australia for a special presentation by guest speaker Jo Speirs in conversation with Sumudu Narayana.

Jo – author and editor – recently won the Favourite Debut Romance Author Award at the Australian Romance Readers Assoc (ARRA) annual awards and will be joining us to discuss her journey to become a Harlequin romance author. She'll also share her experiences of being an editor and having her work edited, as well as insights on how she balances these roles within her business.

Date: Thursday 2 May 2024
Time: 6.00 pm to 7.45 pm ACST (Adelaide) / 8.30 pm to 10.15 pm NZST
Venue: Online via Zoom
Booking close: Tuesday 30 April 2024

Book today: https://iped.memnet.com.au/MemberSelfService/EventBooking.aspx?selectedEventId=916

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

WE WILL REMEMBER THEM

Today is for celebrating another client release. These are my favourite days 😍

Biggest congratulations to Joanne Tracey- Writer.

This is a wonderful story and I can’t wait for your readers to escape to Whale Bay.

Download it now 👇👇

It's release day for this little beauty today - a new cosy crime set right here in Queensland and starring jaded lawyer Clementine Carter.

The blurb:

When jaded Melbourne divorce lawyer Clementine Carter returns to her Queensland coastal hometown of Whale Bay after a twenty-five-year absence, she figures she'll fly in, arrange the sale of the beach shack she's been left in her Aunt Rose's will, and fly back out.

Once back in Whale Bay, Clem soon discovers that Rose has been locking horns with some of the most influential people in town, and her death might not be as straightforward as she's been led to believe. It seems someone wants to get their hands on both the beachside property and New Moon, Rose's New Age shop – and will stop at nothing until they get it. To complicate matters further, when Clem meets Finn Marella, a local barista and her aunt's partner in local activism, sparks fly.

Convinced Rose's death was no accident, Clem sets out, with the help of Finn and some old school friends, to investigate.

With millions of development dollars at stake, can Clem read the clues Rose has left behind and unravel the mystery before it's too late for her too?

Available in all the usual places

Happy book birthday Complete Communication Coach 🥳

I am happy to be celebrating the 2nd year anniversary of the launch of my book ‘You Deserve to be Heard: 101 tips to boost your public speaking confidence’.

I am incredibly grateful to everyone who has supported ‘You Deserve to be Heard’ over the past two years and embraced my tips to enhance your communication skills and confidence.

The favourite part of my writing journey was sharing client stories of transformation. Many of my recent clients have been inspired by these stories to make change for themselves.

Readers have described the book as a useful resource that they can tap into whenever they need that boost of confidence.
“Far more than a book about public speaking, Kerry provides many tips that will make you a more effective communicator in your professional and personal life”.

If you haven’t grabbed your copy yet, you can get one here: www.completecommunicationcoach.com.au

But perhaps you need more than that! If you are ready to overcome your fears of public speaking, or prepare for a job interview, presentation, meeting or networking event, I’m here to help you speak with confidence and clarity. Book a free phone chat today to discuss 1:1 coaching options: www.completecommunicationcoach.com.au

Ready to share your public speaking success stories or need advice? Or maybe you’ve read my book and would like to share your thoughts. Drop a comment below—I'd love to hear from you!

OH MY GOSH! (And, no, you're not seeing double)

Sorry for yelling ... but I've received a second nomination as 'South Australian Woman to Watch for 2024!'

These kind words and recognition mean the world:

"Jo operates her business with integrity and goes the extra mile to help authors polish their books before publication. Her high-quality service and thoughtful feedback is invaluable."

Thank you Sandra O'Grady for taking the time to write these lovely words.

- thank you also for the tireless work you do in supporting and creating an amazing community here in SA.

One of the big things I do when I edit a manuscript is look for the overuse of adverbs.

Adverbs are words that modify a verb (sings loudly), adjective (very small), another adverb (ended too quickly), or even an entire sentence (Unfortunately, I forgot to bring an umbrella).

As you can see above, these pesky words usually end in -ly, but others, too, slip into the narrative, such as “very” or “pretty”.

In the writing world, adverbs are considered messy and lazy writing, and 99% of the time, we can delete these words without affecting the story.

Here are my top 12 offenders:
👉Really
👉Probably
👉Slowly
👉Very
👉Only
👉Finally
👉Quietly
👉Normally
👉Exactly
👉Actually
👉Absolutely
👉Completely

Suggestion: search for these words before submitting to your editor or self-publishing.

Which of these words do you use the most?

WOW!

What an honour to be recognised and nominated as a 'South Australian Woman to Watch for 2024!'

So grateful and a huge thanks to the person who took the time to write these kind words:

"Jo is an absolute powerhouse! Not only is she an incredibly talented writer, but she also uses her considerable skills to help other writers and business owners achieve their goals. She is amazingly supportive of other women and lives with admirable compassion and integrity."

Do you know the difference between copyediting and proofreading?

Copyediting and proofreading are the final 2 steps of the editing process and are vital for getting your story to a professional and polished state.

They are two completely different tasks and skillsets but hold equal importance.

➡️ Copyediting addresses grammar, usage and consistency in a word-by-word edit. It corrects continuity issues and ensures there are no technical errors or confusion for the reader. My focus is always on readability - you want a page-turner, not an ‘I’m bored after the first chapter’ story.

➡️ Proofreading is the final step of the editing process and focuses on eliminating minor errors and inconsistencies. This is not when suggestions are made to enhance sentences or readability, tighten the structure or change the colour of your character’s eyes!

If you’re not sure what stage your manuscript is at or what editing you need, please reach out via DM or email [email protected]

Visit my website: www.nurturingwords.com.au

Happy writing 😃

Action beats are used during or after dialogue instead of dialogue/speech tags.

Actions beats … well … show the action the character takes while they are talking or after they speak.

Replacing dialogue/speech tags with action beats is a great way to bring the reader closer to the action and to show deep POV.

Action beats are punctuated as a new sentence: a full stop at the end of the dialogue and capital for the new sentence/action.

Here’s an example of some dialogue with action beats.

💚“This is an amazing sentence.” Jo pointed to the words on the page, a broad smile across her face.

💚“I’ve fallen in love with you.” Jo craned her neck. His eyes darkened. “I’m going to kiss you now.”

💚“I’m so sorry.” She looked away. “I never meant to hurt you.”

Make sure you bookmark this post for future reference.

Drop me a DM if you need any help.
www.nurturingwords.com.au

Biggest congratulations Victoria Brown
It’s been an absolute pleasure working on these books with you x

What better way to bring in the new year than to celebrate a 'happy release day'.

'To protect the ones you love, sometimes you have to hide the truth.'

Elly Parker's life is a mess. Her relationship is in tatters and she's hiding a shocking secret: her mother's dying wish. When the opportunity arises to fulfil it, Elly buys a fancy sports car and hits the road.

Congratulations on the release of 'A Secret Road Travelled' & thank you for trusting me with book 1 of Elly's story (it's a trilogy!) You are a joy to work with!

.words_book.editor As humans, we crave connection.

Whether it’s through the eye contact of the barista, postie or even your furry four-legged friend, the physical shift when our eyes lock is the strong connection that makes us feel human.

And as readers, we relate to things that have an emotional impact.

But, how do we convey this on the page when we’re writing?

We offer the readers our eyes … and all our senses.

Bring your reader close to the action, immerse them in the scene, make them feel like they’re experiencing the scene.

How?

By using sensory language.

Sensory language uses words to describe the senses – what the characters see, feel, hear, taste and smell.

And the trick is to ‘show’ the senses rather than ‘tell’ the reader.

If your character is sad, rather than saying just that, write what the character is experiencing through their senses: throat clamped tight, tears flooding eyes, blinking hard not to cry, salty tears.

Adding this detail to your scenes can take time, but the payoff will be a story with greater emotional impact and one your reader will remember.

🥳It's another 'let's celebrate' day!

'Never let the truth get in the way of a good story.

That’s a life lesson Alice Aspinall, a reality TV starlet trapped in a fake marriage, has learnt the hard way. When her carefully curated life explodes, she flees to the small town of Wattle Junction.

Owen James is a helper, despite what people say about his serious personality. He’s recently moved home to set up his law firm with a focus on making sure everyone who needs legal advice gets it.

As Alice and Owen’s attraction heats up and they get to know each other—and themselves—will they be able to see the reality right in front of them? Or will they remain blind to the truth?'

Congratulations & thank you for trusting me with Alice and Owen's story. You are a joy to work with 💕

Ah, the humble enter key.

Can you remember it used to be called the return key (named after typewriters’ carriage returns).

It’s one of the most overused keys.

Why?

A lot of people press it multiple times to get the cursor from the end of their text, waiting for a new page to pop up.

TIP: press CTRL+enter instead—just once—and bingo, a new page is ready to use.

Do you have any shortcuts you use?

Drop them below ⬇️⬇️

Doubts are a normal part of writing a book.

Have you had those moments of fear that you aren’t heading in the right direction?

You’re most definitely not alone.

Doubts and fears in the book writing process are a normal part of creating, and every writer feels it at some point in their work … I feel it all the time!

As big as these feelings seem, it’s worth taking a big breath and remembering you started writing for a reason, and that reason remains behind the doubt and fear.

So, when the doubt comes calling, what can you do to push through?

❣ Be confident that you’ve been called to write. You’re a writer with a story that only YOU can share, and there are people out there who want to read what you have to say, exactly the way you say it.

❣ You have unique writing gifts, and they don’t have to be perfect. Training and practice can elevate and improve your writing and are a normal part of becoming a better writer.

❣ Share your doubts with friends, family, colleagues and professionals you work with. You will soon see you’re not alone in having doubts, and there are people around who will be more than happy to remind you of this!

Has doubt knocked you back from finishing (or even starting!) your manuscript before?

Please SAVE this post for future reference when you need a reminder and tag or share it with a writing buddy so they can learn too! Thanks 😊

How beautiful is this cover!

USA Today Best Selling Author has recently released 'Autumn at the Apple Hill Vineyard'.

"It’s time for Hazel to reimagine her life as her 19-year-old daughter leaves home for a gap year abroad."

"With instant chemistry, magical adventures and a deliciously romantic backdrop, could this be the start of a perfect blended life together for Hazel and Spence, or will the realities of the outside world call time on their love before the final autumn leaves fall?"

Thank you, Megan, for trusting me with Hazel and Spence's story … I love working with you 💕

Autumn at the Apple Hill Vineyard is FREE!

Client love 💕💕


speirs_romance_author It's no secret that I love my writing community 💕

Today I want to give a shout-out to the massively wonderful

Not only is she my client .words_book.editor and she sent me a copy of her latest release of award-winning short stories -- Worth the Risk, but she also gifted me a pair of earrings that match the cover of my book.

These earrings are from the equally wonderful and are just perfect.

These make the hard days better.

💗💗

It's another one of my favourite days!

The absolute best part of my job is when clients release their books into the world.

And today I'm cheering and celebrating

A Capacity for Falling in Love -- He’s never been anyone’s knight in shining armour, but when Benedict finds Rosanna in need of rescue, he can’t help but step in. She called, he came. This story features a hero with something to hide, a heroine with plenty to lose and a plan that involves unlikely allies, a touch of cloak and dagger, and a whole lot of luck.💕

This is Book 3 in the Falling in Love Series.

Today I feel like a proud mumma.

To be a small part of someone's dream coming true. To see the hard work and long hours the author invests in their craft. To see their readers enjoy the stories - is the best.

Congratulations again, Carrie, and thank you for trusting me with Rosanna and Benedict's story.

Absolutely thrilled for my client Kerry on her nomination for 2024 SA Literary Awards in the nonfiction category.

A fantastic resource on communicating confidently.

Good luck 🍀

Excited to announce that I have been nominated for the 2024 SA Literary Awards for my book 'You Deserve to be Heard: 101 tips to boost your public speaking confidence', in the non-fiction category.

I wrote the book to provide a resource for my clients that they use whenever and wherever they want to communicate confidently. Very grateful for the nomination.

What’s your style?

As a writer, one of the most valuable tools you can create for your manuscript is a style sheet.

A style sheet is a list/document/file that captures everything specific to you as an author and each manuscript you write.

It covers your style choices for:
👉Reference sources (style guides and dictionaries)
👉Language preferences (Aussie or USA English)
👉Tense and POV
👉Punctuation (use of quote marks, italics, commas, apostrophes, ellipsis, etc.)
👉Abbreviations and contractions (not the birthing kind 😏)
👉Formatting and layout
👉Numbering and time
👉Capitalisation
👉Main character names and key features
👉Spelling preferences

A style guide follows the manuscript to the editor and the proofreader to ensure consistency throughout your story.

Haven’t got one?

No worries – creating a style sheet is part of my line and copyediting service 😊

If you would like a template for the style sheet I use, email me: [email protected]

Save this post and tag a writer friend who needs a style sheet.

Are you in the process of proofreading your manuscript?

Don't forget, you will need to repeat the proofreading process several times!

The longer you wait between each read, the more likely mistakes will stand out to you - so ensure you give your manuscript some space between proofreads.

Check out the latest blog for tips and tricks on proofreading before passing your manuscript on to a professional proofreader.

https://www.nurturingwords.com.au/blogandresources/the-top-reasons-proofreading-is-is-a-must-have-for-all-manuscripts-1

Do you know when to capitalise the words mum and dad?

When I first started writing, it confused me no end, and now that I’m editing, I see it crop up all the time.

👇A quick and easy trick:

If the word mum/dad is replacing a person’s name, then it should be capitalised.

👉 I love how Mum has styled her hair. I love how Jo has styled her hair.

Here Mum/Jo are proper nouns, therefore capitalised.

👉My mum has a lovely haircut. My Jo has a lovely haircut.

Here, mum can’t be replaced with Jo as it’s a common noun and sounds funny – so it's lower case.

🤓Remember, if you can replace mum/dad with a person’s name, then use a capital.

And, if you get stuck, don't be afraid to DM me.

Please SAVE this post for future reference when you need a refresher and tag or share it with a writing buddy!

Thanks 😊

🎶Oh happy days … Oh happy days 🎶

Yes, you guessed it!

The best part of my job happened again today. The day my client releases her book into the wild for all to enjoy.

It's a day to celebrate and her book: 'With or Without Panties'

It's a fun meet-cute, steamy contemporary romance. The first standalone book in the steamy Hot Cops Romance Series is packed with witty banter, amusing canines, and a dash of suspense.

Massive congrats, Karen, and thank you for trusting me with Jake and Claire's story.

You can grab the story ⏩ link in bio ⏩⏩ linktr.ee/karenlieversz

💗💗 Dream Big!

Here's to dreaming big this week!

✨

My gosh ... what a week of celebrating my inspiring clients.

Did I tell you I have the best job in the world!

Today I'm cheering for the amazingly talented Gibson Writer

📣"Reinventing Emily Brown"

For readers of Beth O’Leary, REINVENTING EMILY BROWN is a delightful story exploring the theme of second chances in both life and love. Told with a seamless blend of humour and heart, readers are invited along with Emily, her teenage daughter Hayley, and her mum Mary, as they navigate the challenges and expectations faced by women in today’s society while uncovering their own personal values along the way.

Congrats again, Jodi, and thank you for trusting me with Emily's story.